new york city budget hotels

in preparation for a quickie visit to NYC in august, i am looking into cheap manhattan hotels.  what?  that exists?  my preference would be to be downtown-ish, and not in any major tourist areas - i.e. times square or herald square.  here's the running list i've come up with so far, not quite in order of preference but with the better ones at the top.

• hotel qt $170/night and up. andre balazs' new stylish budget hotel in western midtown
• chelsea lodge $115/night, double occupancy (sink and shower in room, shared toilets down the hall for some rooms). family run, excellent reviews on tripadvisor
• amsterdam hospitality  all hotels start at about $120/night.  hotel group with small boutique locations all over manhattan, but mostly in midtown.  the marcel is decent looking, and closer to downtown (23rd and 3rd).  other hotels from amsterdam hospitality are the ameritania, amsterdam court, bentley, moderne, and the astor hotel.
• hudson hotel hipster hotel by ian schrager filled with design by phillippe starck, but rarely have the cheap advertised rooms available.  cool nightlife options, but tiiiiny rooms! (i visited one when a friend was staying here about 2 years ago.)
• howard johnson express LES from $179.  supposedly very clean, but very basic.  the perfect location (albeit incongruous for a generic chain hotel) for exploring the lower east side, soho, and east village.  right next door to sunshine cinemas!
• the gershwin hotel $130/night for standard rooms, less for bare bones. very, um, quirky decor, super youth-oriented, wishes it were the chelsea hotel?  individual bunk beds (hostel style) also available
• abingdon guest house $200/night.
• washington square hotel $200/night. tiny rooms, good location, mediocre aesthetic.
• union square inn $120/night.  some really bad reviews on tripadvisor!  buta  great location.  you get what you pay for?
• larchmont hotel approx $120/night.
• rooms to let only 4 rooms and one apartment, starting at $200/night, seems like you're just rooming in someone's home
• craigslist always has apartments to rent or exchange!